FF: Clamp Hold-Open
The creative solutions never end! RB Sontag of Allegion sent me today's Fixed-it Friday photo, and if this is a fire door, we've got a problem.
FF: Wood Wedge Problem Solvers
There's more than one way to hold open a door for convenience, and if it's a fire door, the method needs to be code-compliant. Here's a great Fixed-it Friday example.
Extraneous Fire Door Assembly Labels
If a door or frame has a label indicating that is is fire rated, is the assembly required to be maintained and inspected as required by NFPA 80 and NFPA 101? A proposed code change offers a clarification.
Locksmith Ledger: Codes Matter – For the Safety of Building Occupants, AND Your Bottom Line
This article was published in the October 2019 issue of Locksmith Ledger, and includes some questions that you can use to determine whether your code knowledge is up-to-date.
QQ: Do all fire exits have fire exit hardware?
Do all fire exit doors have fire exit hardware? Even if you already know the answer to this question, today's blog post might help you explain it to someone who disagrees.
Training Opportunity (with AIA and DHI credit)!!
If you're anywhere near Cleveland, Ohio, I just found out about a great opportunity on Thursday, November 7th for you to attend our Code Update Roundtable!
FF: Screws
It warms my heart that in the last 10 years, the number of people who actually notice these problems (and often do something to resolve them) has increased significantly.
WW: Slammer Spring
Maybe rules really are made to be broken? Which code requirements are being violated with this creative Wordless Wednesday installation?
WWYD? Performance-Based Option
Do you know of any facility that is using the performance-based option for fire door assembly inspection? I asked the Joint Commission about it...
SDI: Fire Door Assembly Video
Have you ever wished for a short video that gives an overview of fire door assemblies? The Steel Door Institute (SDI) recently released a 2-minute video that covers the basics.
WW: Assisted Living Fire Doors
Imagine that you are moving your mom into an assisted living facility, and you notice that the door closer on every fire-rated apartment entrance door has been disconnected...
FF: Please Shut Door
The door in these photos is at the top of the stairs in a bar, exiting from a non-sprinkled basement assembly room that is used for weddings and parties. What do you think? OK or NO WAY?
WW: Close Fire Doors
This sign - and the fire door it's attached to - are definitely left over from the Olden Days. There was a time when fire doors were closed manually to protect the building when it was unoccupied.
ASHE on Fire Door Inspections
The first step in improving fire door safety is identifying the problems that are consistently seen in the field. How can the industry help improve the durability and performance of opening protectives?
QQ: Existing Frame, No Fire Label
Regarding an existing fire door assembly - the door has a fire label but the frame does not. Is the frame required to have a label?
Top-10 – FF: All-Time Fave (so far)
Here it is - my favorite Fixed-it Friday photo of all time (so far)! If you have any interesting door photos from your summer vacation, I'd love to see them!
Allegion Code Reference Guide
The day has finally arrived. The updated Allegion Code Reference Guide is ready - 40 pages of code information that you can download for free!
Classroom Lockdown Modification
Will this screen door latch keep out a school shooter? Or maybe two would be sufficient? Hopefully we'll never have to find out.
WW: Fire Door Smoke Test
Much of the work to replace deficient fire doors in London residential blocks has not been completed, so one man decided to take matters into his own hands to prove a point. Don't do this.
QQ: Fire Test Standard for Sliding Doors
An architect is interested in specifying a sliding fire door assembly for a project, but I see that the product is listed to UL 10B. I thought fire doors were required to be listed to UL 10C?
Construction Specifier: Smoke Doors vs. Fire Doors – What’s the Difference?
I receive so many questions about fire doors vs. smoke doors; my article from the June issue of Construction Specifier answers many of them.
QQ: Coordinators on Fire Doors
When a pair of fire doors has manual flush bolts and no closer on the inactive leaf, is a coordinator required?
Decoded: Thresholds and Gasketing for Fire Doors and Smoke Doors (June 2019)
Thresholds and gasketing are simple in comparison to other types of hardware, but the code requirements can make them difficult to properly specify and supply.
New York in the News
These news stories both happen to be from New York City, and both address topics that made me go hmmm... What do you think?
QQ: Painting/Refinishing Fire Doors
Does painting or refinishing a fire door in the field void the label? The answer to today's Quick Question seems obvious, but can you prove it?
North Tunica County Fire Department
Someone recently asked me...if residential bedroom doors do such a great job of keeping the fire out, why bother with fire doors? What's the difference?
Decoded: Why Barricade Devices? (May 2019)
Why would a school district consider using unregulated security devices, given the associated risk and liability? The answer may surprise you.
QQ/WWYD?: Old Fire Doors With 2 Hinges
Is an existing fire door assembly with 2 hinges acceptable, or should it be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection?
WWYD? Arched Brick Opening
The fire marshal wants these stairwell doors to close more reliably than they do with the original system. Note the arched brick "frames" and the swing-clear strap hinges (cool, right??). WWYD?
QQ: Hinges for Fire Door Assemblies
Quick Question: Are steel, ball-bearing, butt hinges for fire door assemblies required to be UL listed?
WW: Wordless
I have spent two days trying to figure out what to write in this post. I'm still thinking.
WWYD? NFPA 80/105 Updates
It's almost time to submit change proposals for NFPA 80 and NFPA 105 - tell me what's on your wish list and I'll see what I can do to help!
Enforcement of 5-Pound Operable Force Limit
Heads up - the 5-pound force limit on operable hardware is something everyone should be aware of long before the final inspection by the AHJ.
NFPA Journal: Mind the Gap
To bring more clarity, the Fire Protection Research Foundation has begun work on a full-scale fire test on fire doors with varying gaps between the door and frame.
WW: What’s Wrong?
Eric Laidlaw of Jensen Hughes sent me these Wordless Wednesday photos...I'd love to hear your theories/analyses of what's going on with this opening.
More on GWB Penetration – Fire-Rated Frames
Have you ever run into a situation where a piece of hardware or a mortar box in a fire-rated frame prevented the GWB from penetrating 1/2-inch into the frame, as required by NFPA 80?
QQ: Job-Site Preps for Fire Doors
Follow-Up #1: For which types of hardware does NFPA 80 allow job-site preparations to be made in fire door assemblies?
New: Maximum Hole Size for Job-Site Preps
If you're not in the habit of reading NFPA 80 cover-to-cover each time it is updated, this one might have slipped by you. It's an important change.
Fire Marshal Guidance for Unplanned Fire Alarms
Remember when a fire alarm during the school day meant exiting immediately in an orderly fashion and enjoying a few minutes away from our desks? Times are changing.
Which code, when, and where?
When you're interpreting the code requirements for a particular building, how do you know which code or standard to reference?
Decoded: Where are fire door inspections required by code? (December 2018)
The answer: In almost every US state. With that said, having it required by code and having it enforced by the AHJ are sometimes two different things.
WW: Happy Halloween!
It's that time of year again...when teachers get creative and their classroom doors become the canvas. Don't forget the rules of holiday door decorating!
WW: I’m at a loss for words…
I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's Wordless Wednesday photo. This is in direct conflict with everything I learned about life safety in hardware school.
Classroom Security – 4 Questions
It has been 74 days since I have written about classroom barricade devices. This refresher is posted by request, and in honor of Safe Schools Week.
QQ: Field Preps for Auxiliary Fire Pins
Can less-bottom-rod (LBR) fire exit hardware with an auxiliary fire pin be installed on an existing fire door? If you have anything to add, please weigh in!
WWYD? Hole, No Strike
On a fire door assembly, is it acceptable to drill/cut a hole in the frame for the latchbolt, and not install the strike?
Fire Door Decommissioning Labels
What's the proper protocol when a fire door assembly has been installed where it is not required? If you're considering the use of decomissioning labels, read this first.
Form, Function & Fire Safety: A Clearer View of Fire-Rated Glass and Framing
This video does a great job of summarizing the code requirements that apply to glass and glazing used in fire door assemblies and egress doors. Thanks TGP!
Decoded: Code Requirements for Hotels and other Residential Occupancies (November 2018)
Code issues are not uncommon in hotels, apartment buildings, and other residential occupancies. My next Decoded article addresses some things to look for.
WW: Hotel Hinges
Considering the liability a hotel could face if their fire door assemblies failed to perform during a fire, the repair methods employed by many hotels seem pretty irresponsible.